Dr. Jean Baptiste De La Salle Tignegre is the new manager of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF)’s Pod Borer Resistant Cowpea (PBR) project being implemented in Nigeria, Ghana, and Burkina Faso.
Dr. Baptiste, a Burkinabé, joined AATF on August 1, 2022, from the World Vegetable Centre, Mali Office, where he worked as the Country Manager and Representative for West and Central Africa-Dry Region.
He replaces Dr Issoufou Kolo who retired last December. In his role as Project Manager PBR Cowpea, Dr. Baptiste, who will be based in Abuja Nigeria, will also serve as the AATF West African Regional Representative.
He has worked for over 25 years in the Cowpea Value Chain and brings on board valuable experience in biotechnology and specifically PBR Cowpea.
His previous roles include working with the Institute for Environment and Agricultural Research (National Scientific and Technology Research Centre), Burkina Faso, as a Plant Breeder for the Grain Legume Improvement Program (Cowpea) and team leader of the Plant Genetics for Cowpea in Burkina Faso.
Dr. Baptiste holds a PhD in Plant Breeding from the University of KwaZulu in the Republic of South Africa, M. Sc in Plant Biology and Ecology from University of Ouagadougou, MSc in Rural Development Engineering (Major in Agricultural Sciences) from University of Ouagadougou and B.Sc. Rural Development technical Sciences Engineering (Major in Agricultural Sciences) from University of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso.
